Why Nigerian universities cannot be rated among 100 best universities in world ranking
By Racheal Oyelola
A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Olufemi Bamiro has explained the rationale behind the exclusion of Nigerian universities in the list of the best 100 universities in the world.
Bamiro, who spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State on Tuesday, said Nigerian universities are not rated as one of the best 100 because the academic staff to students ratio is too wide in all the existing institutions in the country.
The former VC spoke during a symposium organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Ibadan branch in honour of Engineer Emmanuel Olaniyi Oladeji.
Recall that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had on Sunday rated the University of Ibadan as the best in the country.
However, UI which is rated the best in Nigeria is not among the best 1,000 in the world. The university, according to a ranking web of universities, was rated as 1,196 in the world.
But, Bamiro while speaking, explained that Nigerian universities are overpopulated by students with few academic staff.
He said this is one of the reasons why Nigerian universities are not rated among the best in the world.
The former Vice Chancellor who delivered a paper titled “Engineering capacity building towards national development,” added that lecturers in Nigerian universities are too overburdened.
He said this is the main reason why many lecturers do not know all their students.
Bamiro, whose paper was delivered by Professor Ayodeji Oluleye, said the ratio of students to academic staff, number of facilities, number of accredited courses, students performance, employability and contribution to the economy are some of the yardsticks that are used to rate universities in the world.
He explained that the inability of Nigerian universities to meet these standards are responsible for their exclusion in the list of the best in the world.
“Academic staff in Nigerian universities are overburdened. We are overburdened. The ratio of academic staff to students is over 30 students to a lecturer. That is why we are not among the best 100.
“What is the ratio of academic staff and students in the universities that are rated as one of the best 100?
“The ratio in universities like Harvard, Oxford is ratio 1 to 5. Five students per lecturer. The class that has the highest number of students will be 20 students. So, why will they not know their students?
“But, what we need to do in Nigeria is to follow the pattern. All the stakeholders must work to achieve this. The critical stakeholders, NUC, NABTEB, BOI, ITF must be involved.”
